Some Finishes from Around the WWW

I was just thinking the other day about www -- how long (already) it's been part of our vernacular, and how useless (ultimately) it is, because really, what other system do we have in place?  It's kind of like telling someone your address, but first stating that you live on Earth.  (Occasionally, I accidentally type in "qqq" and wonder if I'll stumble onto some whole other Internet.)

I'm always really pleased to see when someone has felt inspired enough to stitch one of my designs, and I always enjoy checking out how people make the designs their own by creative framing or by changes in my original instructions (which really are just suggestions.)

Cyndi stitched this piece, and Jill Rensel did the framing (the picture here is from Jill's fantastic framing blog.  Jill has done the framing for Shepherd's Bush for eons, but she also does other creative framing (and yes, you can ship her your piece if you don't live nearby.)  The design is Witchy Washy, a design I came up with almost ten years ago already.  Rod at Hoffman Distributing said at the time he felt the design had "legs," meaning it would be popular for a long time...I still sell about 30-50 of these charts a month, even ten years later.  It is my all-time best seller.  (Love the purple mats and spooky frame on this one.)

Cindy stitched my Jenny Bean Friendship Sampler and said she's on her way to stitch Jenny's Christmas Sampler as well.  She said she had a really fun time stitching it.  I had fun stitching my own model, too.  I typically don't enjoy stitching my own designs as much, because I'm fretting about color choices and deadlines, but I did like doing this one.

This is my (Raise the Roof) "Cackle" design, performed by Cyndi and framed by Jill Rensel.  I used just a few colors of floss in this one, so I've seen a number of different versions with different purples and oranges and such.  No idea how I thought of the saying for this one, but it still makes me smile: Cackle and the world cackles with you; shriek and you shriek alone.

Here's WW again ... a pretty green mat this time.  Marilyn stitched this version -- she did a great job!  I also see she dates her pieces.  I never think to do that anymore.

Jen stitched my Elizabeth Milner piece -- how pretty it turned out!  Jill Rensel did the framing.  This is a frame I've used a few times.  It's a Larson-Juhl frame and is made to look old and beat up (some of the beading is even missing.)  And it's expensive...funny how we pay so much for things like weathered jeans, crackled furniture and beat up frames.  Our forefathers would shake their heads.

(You may notice that the border seems crookedly stretched ... well, Elizabeth had some "issues" with stitching a straight line, and so her border is actually a little more freewheeling than we're used to.)

Lyn said she stitched this version of my Passport Pincushion for an exchange, so this one is going to live with someone else.  I love how she made a quilted pincushion base!  She said she had fun picking out the motifs from the chart included with the instructions and will also be making one for herself.

WHAT?  Here's WW again -- this time stitched by Marilyn.  Jill put some bats on this mat and polka dots one one of the interior mats.  Great job Marilyn and Jill!

Veena worked and worked and worked her way through Ann Dale, which is larger than large (did you know there are 60,000 stitches in it?)  She made some changes to the colors (her version ends up brighter than mine), and I think it's just lovely.  Don't you?

Susan stitched this version of my Boo Scurry Yum (Raise the Roof) design on a fun over-dyed fabric.  Jill did the framing, once again.  This was another one of mine that I actually really enjoyed stitching -- I love Halloween colors.

If you have finishes you're proud of, share them on my Shakespeare's Peddler Facebook page.  I am proud of all of the work that went into creating these pieces -- nicely done, ladies!